ITK C424: Queen’s Pickles
Dejected after seeing Puffer’s hopeless state, I went to see someone else.
Mermaid Queen Mahi is currently having tea with her daughter, Platy.
“Aren’t you tormenting your daughter-in-law too much, Mom? Do you want to end up like those stereotypical mean mother-in-laws?”
“Harsh as always, my dear Platy. But this must be done. Once Arowana gets married, he won’t belong to me anymore. The precious son I gave birth to will become another woman’s…”
“But that won’t stop him from not marrying at all, especially since he’s a prince. Puffer is an outstanding girl; I can at least vouch that.”
“It’s not something that can be explained through words, dear. You’ll know once your child is older and ready to take a woman’s hand in marriage.”
Queeh Mahi is holding Junior, her grandson.
“Imagine if Junior introduces an audacious woman to you and says he’s going to marry her.”
“Ahhhhhhhh! Noooooooooooo!!!”
Platy is disturbed.
Does she hate the idea that much?
“I’ll kill that sassy woman!”
“See? Aren’t I being generous enough by not resorting to killing this Puffer?”
“…But you didn’t even react this severely when you found out I got married.”
“Oh, did you miss me? I wanted to say a lot to you, Platy, but generally speaking, when a girl goes off to be a bride, it’s her father who gets upset. When your father heard that you got married on land, he wailed and wailed.”
She’s referring to Mermaid King Nagus, right?
I didn’t know there was such a conflict at the bottom of the ocean back then…!
“I’m sure you’ll understand when you have a girl, dear. There’s a difference in the way daughters and sons, fathers and mothers love their children.”
What helpful advice from someone who has more life experience than us.
Maybe I should keep that in mind.
Junior is a boy, so it may not affect me that much, but it’s possible that we’ll have two or three more children, and one of them might be a girl.
If my adorable daughter grows up and brings a nasty-looking guy…
“Gaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
“Shut up, Dear!”
It’s so hard!
I never thought it’d be this hard, even before my daughter was born!
We must eradicate all the good-time Charlies in this world!
“But it doesn’t change the fact that the parent is being selfish. Wishing for their children to always stay the same will only bother them. You understand, don’t you?”
Queen Mahi sighs sadly.
Also, His Majesty Nagus is still over there wrestling with the orcs and goblins.
“I even made her make pickles that will symbolize a queen just torment her. I really am a loathsome mother-in-law, huh?”
“So, that was the purpose of your task all along!”
“How can pickles even embody a queen’s essence?”
Haha… Right?
I didn’t expect the meaning behind the queen’s ordeal was simply to torment Puffer!
“But I’ll stop bothering them now. Though she has probably come up with pickles according to my order. Whatever it may be, I’ll accept it. Then, Arowana will be hers.”
“Wise decision, Mom!”
Platy and I clap in unison.
This is a mother’s decision—to overcome the conflict that arises from her parental love and acknowledge that her son has become a full-fledged man.
“It’s done!”
Oh, speak of the devil.
It’s Puffer with Prince Arowana behind her.
…Why do the both of them look a little ghastly?
“It’s finally done! Here are the queen’s pickles, as you requested, Your Majesty! I am confident that it will meet your expectations!”
“That’s right, Mother!”
Even Prince Arowana looks worked up!
What the hell happened at the pickle workshop after I left?
“…Let me have a look.”
In contrast, Queen Mahi keeps her composure.
She declared earlier that she’ll give Puffer a passing grade no matter what, but I’m sure she still wants to keep her dignity.
All for Puffer’s sake, who worked so hard.
“You understand, yes? If you overcome this ordeal, you’ll officially be Prince Arowana’s wife and eventually Mermaid Queen. Did you put that determination into your dish?”
“With pride, Your Majesty! Behold the queen’s special pickles I’ve created! Its name is…”
Bam!
A big pail is placed on the table.
She brought the whole pail with her?!
“…Durian pckles!!!”
“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!”
It stinks! It stiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinks!!!
Man, does durian always stink!
Halfway out of the pail is a durian sticking out with a myriad of spikes all over its surface!
The fact that it has eyes and a nose is proof it’s not just a normal fruit.
It’s the durian spirit, Dorian Kaioh.
“Well, hello there.”
“Don’t give us that!”
“This is the first time I have soaked in a bran bed, but it’s surprisingly comfortable.”
“We don’t need to hear that like this is your first hot spring experience!”
Anyway, all hell broke loose in an instant with the durian here!
Platy quickly flees with Junior in her arms.
Quick thinking, Platy. A durian’s smell is too stimulating for a baby!
“Wh-What is this?”
As expected, Queen Mahi is at a loss for words.
“Good of you to ask, Your Majesty! The durian on this bed is called the king of fruits!” says Puffer.
Well, I did tell them that durian is the king of fruits. But what about it?
“And we pickled that very king! I believe I have splendidly fulfilled your order, mother-in-law!”
Puffer’s eyes are bloodshot.
I guess this is the end result of her astray journey. Even Prince Arowana looks as haggard as her.
Now, what is the queen’s response to this?
“…There are many things I would like to say, but first and foremost…”
“Yes.”
“This durian is the king of fruits, you say?”
“Certainly,” responds the durian spirit.
“I see. What a novel idea. But by pickling the king of fruits…”
Uh-huh.
“Wouldn’t that make it the king’s pickles instead?”
Exactly.
She asked for queen’s pickles.
This huge of a discrepancy can’t be easily overlooked, even with the queen’s previous declaration.
Everyone present thought so, but in the end, it was Queen Mahi who put it into words.
“…”
Puffer and Prince Arowana, with a look on their faces, as if everything had been shattered…
“Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! It was futileeeee!!!”
They break down in tears.
“It’s all over now! We can’t get married anymoreeeeeee!!!”
“Don’t worry, Puffer! I’ll give up my throne to be with you! Let’s build a happy family together!”
Prince Arowana has lost it, too.
Seeing this miserable couple mixed with the stench of durian is one heck of a mess.
How can we save this situation from completely crumbling down to the depths of hell?!
We can only rely on the queen’s decision!
“You pass the trial.”
“HUH?”
Puffer and Prince Arowana lift their heads.
“I applaud your… enthusiasm and hard work! I’m sure you will be able to build a happy family as long as you have both!”
“Really? Yes!!!”
She has decided ahead of time that whatever came out would be accepted, but it’s still hard to give a passing grade to something so… off the mark.
Well done, Queen.
I’m amazed you managed to overlook that.
“Yes! We did it, Puffer! Now, we are a married couple!
“Yes! Yes, we did! This was much harder than fighting the Geyser Dragon!”
They embrace each other in tears and share their joy.
It’s unusual to see a couple on our farm who has had to endure so much before they are united in marriage.
May they be happy together. All the best.
“Haa… I’ve gone and said it now; there’s no going back.”
On the other hand, the queen looks like she has been dispossessed of an evil spirit.
“My days of having Arowana all to myself are over. In exchange, a long, long war between in-laws is about to begin. I’m both sad and excited.”
By the way, King Nagus and I ate the durian pickles.
